Previous Rankings
#31-50
Keeping it moving with the 2023 rankings. Some real gems in here. What a great year for movies this was.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. tells a near-perfect coming-of-age story, capturing all the complicated feelings and emotions that come with growing up. Having a young actor lead a movie can be a risky endeavor, but Abby Ryder Fortson is more than up to the task as the titular Margaret. Jeffrey Wright has always been great, but now with American Fiction might finally be getting the widespread, major recognition he’s long deserved. Incredibly funny while not skimping on insightful commentary. Sofia Coppola feels like the perfect choice to direct Priscilla, offering a tender and realistic depiction of her life with Elvis. Cailee Spaeny shines in the lead role.
Michael B. Jordan impresses in his directorial debut Creed III. Strong, emotionally impactful story, with some really great boxing choreography. I feared it might suffer from Stallone’s absence, but once the movie gets going, you don’t notice it. Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan are both excellent in Maestro. Great production design, score, basically all other technical aspects.
Chevalier (once again) proves Kelvin Harrison Jr’s incredible talent. I don’t know how well-known Joseph Bologne is outside of music circles, but I had never heard of him. If nothing else, this was a great entry point into the life of a forgotten, yet immensely important figure from music history. I don’t see Past Lives as the masterpiece so many others seem to, but it’s still very good. A discerning look into lost loves, thinking about what might have been, and reckoning with your current life when those loves suddenly are not so lost anymore.
Barbie is bright, dazzling, a riotous good time, while still managing to offer poignant commentary on several issues. Never quite crosses the line into preachy territory, thank goodness. A perfectly cast movie. Godzilla Minus One features some great monster work, but really shines and succeeds as it focuses more on the human stories. Godzilla always looms large – literally and figuratively – but the personal stories carry the day. Suzume is gorgeously animated to go along with its deeply personal story. It hits on tragedy, grief, hope and healing. It really runs the gamut, and handles it all extremely well. Has a supernatural fantasy setup, but its strength comes when it focuses on the more grounded, normal parts of the characters’ lives.
I say this with 100% seriousness: Jason Momoa should win the Best Supporting Actor for his role in Fast X (review). He is the best and most entertaining villain of the franchise It has all the usual marks and highlights of the series, but Momoa takes it to another level. More cartoonish villains please. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is maybe the most “teenage” the Ninja Turtles have ever felt, at least on screen, and it pays huge dividends. Along some really creative animation, it gives it a fresh feel that is missing from lots of animated movies these days. Pretty funny too, with some cool and fun fight scenes. I had basement level expectations for Wonka (review), so it being good was one of the biggest surprises for me this past year. Charming, silly, whimsical, everything from the cast to the set design to script follows suit.
Fair Play has some nods to the classic 90s thrillers, and Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich are fully committed to the tone. Chloe Dumont’s sharp screenplay and assured direction keep the movie tight and moving at a good clip. A good mix of relationship drama, gender politics, and workplace drama and backstabbing. A retelling of a horrific true story, Society of the Snow is a harrowing film to watch. Spending so much time with the characters after the inciting plane crash really allows you to feel their distress, and how hopeless their situation must have seemed. Lots of focus is placed on the individual characters and their fight and resilience, the moral and philosophical questions that arise from this kind of disaster.
Poor Things is something, that’s for sure. Absurd, provocative, funny, it’s a wild story of self-discovery. Director Yorgos Lanthimos really went for something here. For better or worse, depending on your tastes, he succeeded. The Boogeyman (review) hits on lots of the common horror themes – grief, loss, trauma – so you won’t find anything new there. But it gets its points across effectively with a strong trio of leads and some expert level crafting of tension. As great as reliable performers Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are, May December is a coming out party for Charles Melton. He is the heart and soul of this movie. Has the right amount of darkly comedic humor to match its sad and uncomfortable plot.
Ferrari hits both personal and business/racing drama effectively, anchored by Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. Excellent craft work, particularly the sound design and editing, culminating with one of the most brutal car crash scenes put to screen. Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game (review) is my hidden gem find of the year. Mike Faist is fantastic as the titular man you saved pinball (a true story, if you can believe it). He also has what is maybe my single favorite line reading of the entire year.
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